Data in Detail: Long Island

Immigrants are a vital part of the social, economic, and cultural life of Long Island communities. Despite facing serious challenges, immigrants account for a share of economic output that is about the same as the immigrant share of population—in fact, it is slightly larger. Several factors combine to make the immigrant economic output robust. First, immigrants typically come to the United States as young adults, so they are a bigger share of the labor force than their share of the population. Immigrants are also more likely than their U.S.-born counterparts to be business owners, contributing not only to their own well-being but also to the vibrancy of the towns they live in.

Another reason immigrants play a robust economic role is that immigrants work in a wider range of jobs than is often recognized, as dish washers, construction workers, nurses, accountants, computer engineers, and more. In fact, most immigrants on Long Island work in middle- or upper-wage jobs. True, immigrants are less likely to be in middle- and upper-wage jobs than their U.S.-born neighbors, and more likely to be in low-wage jobs. But the difference is less extreme than some may imagine. In only one Long Island town, Islip, are slightly under half of immigrants in middle- or upper-wage jobs. Low-wage jobs are defined in relation to the Long Island median earnings for full-time workers. Those who make under $44,000 per year, two thirds of the median, are considered low-wage workers. Those who make between two thirds ($44,000) and double the median ($130,000) are considered middle-wage workers. And those making over $130,000 are considered upper-wage workers. Cost of living is high on Long Island, so even a family with two middle-wage workers may struggle to make ends meet.

Share of Immigrants

Share of U.S. Born